The day was finally here.

  She id in a private hospital room, gripping the sides of the bed as a wave of pain surged through her body. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the contractions intensified. The sterile smell of the room mixed with the overpowering emotions coursing through her—fear, excitement, and an overwhelming sense of anticipation.

  Around her, the medical team moved. But all she could think about was the life she was about to bring into the world. Her mind fshed back to that night in the forest, to Lyra’s touch, and the mark she had left.

  “Push, Delih, you’re doing great!” the doctor encouraged, standing at the foot of the bed, ready to receive the child.

  With a deep breath, she pushed, her entire body trembling. Time seemed to stretch, each second feeling like an eternity as she fought through the pain. She couldn’t believe that after six months, the moment had arrived. The life she had nurtured and protected was about to enter the world.

  Her heart pounded as another contraction ripped through her. She could hear her mother, standing anxiously in the corner, whispering prayers under her breath, while Esther stood stone-faced, watching the scene unfold. Delih had prepared herself for their disapproval, but in this moment, nothing mattered except the baby.

  “Just a little more!” the doctor urged, and she, gathering all her strength, pushed with everything she had left.

  And then she heard it—a sharp, piercing cry.

  Her baby.

  The doctor lifted the infant into view, his cries filling the room with life. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him, her heart swelling with a mix of awe and disbelief. He was here. Her son. Lyra’s son.

  “Congratutions, Delih. You have a healthy baby boy,” the doctor announced, handing the newborn to a nurse, who quickly cleaned him before pcing him gently in her trembling arms.

  Delih’s eyes widened as she gazed down at the tiny bundle. His skin was soft, a light blush covering his cheeks, and wisps of dark hair clung to his small head. But it was his eyes that stole her breath—those striking golden eyes, so much like Lyra’s, glowing with a wild, untamed spirit.

  Tears welled in her eyes as she cradled him close, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Hello, my little wolf,” she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion. This was her baby, her miracle.

  Her mother approached the bed cautiously, peering down at the newborn. She looked shaken, as if the reality of Delih’s situation had only just hit her. “He has... his eyes,” Lo muttered, her voice barely audible.

  Delih nodded, smiling through her tears. “Yes, he’s perfect.”

  “You’re safe with me,” she whispered to him, her hand gently caressing his tiny cheek. “I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

  *

  The elder sat in his study, surrounded by towering shelves filled with ancient tomes and scrolls, their leather bindings cracked with age. His room was dimly lit by the soft glow of a single candle flickering atop his desk, casting dancing shadows across the walls. The elder was reading over a text, his gaze intense and focused, when a faint, ethereal glow began to pulse from a gss case on the far side of the room.

  He looked up, his heart skipping a beat as he noticed the source of the light. It was the Pack Book, an ancient tome bound in silver and etched with symbols of their lineage—a record of every bloodline, every birth and bond of the pack for generations. The elder rose from his chair, his footsteps cautious as he approached the case, his pulse quickening with each step.

  The book had been left open, but now it seemed alive, radiating an otherworldly light. From its pages, something extraordinary took shape. Small roots sprouted, twining up and over the ancient parchment before merging into a single stem, and then, as if defying the ws of nature, a delicate tree grew, its branches spreading outward, dressed with glowing leaves. And then, as the elder stared in shock, a spectral pup appeared, nestled among the branches, its small form ethereal and faintly luminescent.

  The elder’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. He pressed a trembling hand to the gss as if to steady himself, his voice barely a whisper. “How is this possible?” he murmured, his hand sliding down to the tch. With a swift motion, he unlocked the case, leaning in closer to examine the vision unfolding before him. The pup tilted its head, gazing back at him with golden eyes that seemed familiar.

  His body shook as understanding dawned. He recognised those eyes, that unmistakable glint, as the tree shimmered, and a name began to form across the page, glowing with a fierce, silvery light: Lyra.

  A knot formed in the elder’s throat as the Pack Book revealed the prophecy: an alpha child has been born. His voice trembled as he read the rest. “But… she’s been locked up,” he whispered, disbelieving. “How could this be?”

  The page glowed brighter, filling the room with a warm, radiant light that seemed to pulse with life itself. The ancient tree and the pup faded, leaving the elder alone, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared down at the open book. The prophecy had come true, against all odds. Lyra, their forbidden wolf, had passed on her bloodline.

  Turning quickly, the elder moved toward the door, his thoughts racing. This child, born of forbidden union, was bound to change everything. The pack would need to know, and Lyra...

  Rhys clenched his jaw, his gaze turning steely as he paced the floor of the alpha’s quarters. He still wore the marks of their st confrontation with Lyra—a scar down his right cheek that hadn’t healed quite right. For years, she had been contained, her power restrained within the enchanted confines of their strongest cell. There was no conceivable way she could have escaped, let alone given birth to a child.

  Yet here was the elder, breathless and certain as he expined the vision from the Pack Book. “Alpha,” the elder continued, his voice tight with urgency, “this pup is not only a rare occurrence but one of prophecy. You know as well as I do, an alpha’s child is meant to inherit the spirit of the wolf’s bloodline. We cannot let this slip through our fingers.”

  Rhys stopped pacing and faced the elder, his frown deepening. “Do we know where the pup is? Where it was born?”

  The elder shook his head gravely. “Alpha, if Lyra is truly bound to this child through blood, there will be no stopping her from seeking it. And we both know what that could mean for the pack.” He hesitated, then added, “If we don’t bring the child into our pack, another pack might find out and use it against us.”

  Rhys clenched his fists, his mind racing through their options. If they found the child, they could raise it within the pack, shield it from its mother’s influence, and harness its potential as their own. But if Lyra found out… her wrath would be like none they’d ever seen.

  She already escaped once for fun, what trouble will come from this if she’s determined?